Spring frittata

I love the abundance of fresh, local, spring vegetables and there’s nothing I love more than treating them with the respect they deserve. I think this simple egg dish sets them off to perfection.

Let’s face it, it’s basically eggs and potatoes but it’s quite astounding how two such simple ingredients can create the most incredible dish. If you think this is nothing more than a potato omelette then you’ve clearly never lived – or at least never tasted the wonders of a Spanish tortilla. As is my want, I’ve drifted somewhat from tradition with the inclusion of asparagus and green beans. I’ve also replaced the usual white onion with chives but I’m serving this for lunch and thought a greener take on the norm would be just right – and just right is exactly what this is. My one big tip when making this dish is ‘take it easy’ – don’t be in a rush, don’t have the heat too high or too low, spend some time gently warming it all through and then finally have either asbestos hands or thick oven gloves for the flipping.

METHOD
Heat the oil and large nob of butter in a large frying pan, then add the potatoes and chives and stew gently, partially covered, for roughly 10 minutes. Add the asparagus and green beans and leave for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are softened.

Carefully pour the potatoes and veg through a colander into a large bowl and pour the oil back into the pan.

Beat the eggs in another bowl and then pour onto the potatoes and veg with plenty of salt and pepper and stir it all together, then let it sit a while whilst you reheat the pan.

Tip everything into the pan and cook on a gentle heat for about 5 minutes without doing anything. Then use a spatula to shape the omelette into a cushion by softly pulling the edges in and slowly rotating the pan to flood the empty space.

When it’s almost set with a little liquid still visible, take the pan off the heat and leave for 4 min to cool a little, then place a large dinner plate on top and carefully flip the pan so that the tortilla is now on the plate, then slide it back into the pan and cook a few more minutes. Invert twice more, cooking the omelette briefly each time and pressing the edges to keep the cushion shape. Slide it back onto a plate and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Eat and of course, enjoy!

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